wheelman

There is a member here who did this swap, can't remember his name though, use the search function. If I remember correctly it required that he notch the frame rails at the back of the engine bay to clear the exhuast manifolds. Lots of work. Like Karay240 said there are easier swaps that net as good if not better performance for less money and time. What are your goals for the car? What are you starting with? What is your budget? I just noticed you live in Washington, where abouts? Wheelman

The engine bay of the S30 chassis is about 3 inches longer than the engine bay of the S130. Where exactly this space disappears I'm not sure but none of the guys who've installed V8s into a ZX have used the set back position that most Z car V8s end up in, this makes me think the distance from the firewall to the crossmember is where the difference lies. If I'm not mistaken you'll be one of the first to swap a Ford V8 into the ZX (S130) chassis. Wheelman

I traded some emails with a guy running an LT1 that used the bracket in question. He said he had to put 4 inches worth of spacers behind it and on the harmonic balancer/pulley to get it to work. Wheelman

PsykoConvertible, No offense taken, the Z is pretty ugly right now. My daughter remembered I used a hockey puck to plug the hole in the intake where the resonator connected and it has a Mighty Ducks logo on it. She suggested I call it the Duck or the Mighty Duck. At first I thought it kind of fit but then my wife called it the Duck and it really didn't work. I think I'll just stick with calling it The Z for now. Maybe I'll call it the Mutant or the Hybrid. Wheelman

Ok, this is kind of a dumb question and I did try to search so if it's been asked before please forgive me. I've been trying to think of a name for my Z. I keep wanting to call it The Beast but in my family that name is inextricably tied to a 1970 Ford 1/2 ton pickup I had that we affectionately called the Beast. It was big, loud, ugly and the name fit it perfectly. It was also called The Urban Assault Vehicle by some friends of mine but that name never really took hold. My wife wants me to wait until I get it "mostly" done (it will never be truely done) before naming it, right now it's rather ugly, brutal to drive, loud and very un-refined. When it's finished it'll still be brutal and loud but not so ugly or un-refined. So, what have you guys named your Z cars? Wheelman

You don't need a bleed screw to eliminate the air from the line if you follow the procedure outlined in the thread listed by Bartman. Mike described the procedure in good detail and it works, I used it when I installed my T5 slave because it's easier than trying use the bleed screw from under the car. As for the drilling and tapping the slave, many people have done it with good success. I did it and threw in a little JB weld for good measure and have had no problems. If you really don't want to do that then search the site for a thread that mentions an adapter sold by Summit that allows you to connect stainless braided line to a GM slave. Use the search function, there is a huge amount of info on this site that is going to answer most if not all your questions. Wheelman

I had the same donor car and tried to make those fans work, they are just to big to get both in there at the same time. You might be able to get 1 mounted but I don't think it will pull enough air as they aren't shrouded. I used a Taurus fan, both Caprice fan relays and the AC relay (3 relays total) to give the PCM the ability to control the 2 speeds without having both powered at the same time. Powering both speeds of the 2-speed fan at the same time is a bad idea, it increases the current draw dramatically and actually slows the fan as the 2 sets of windings are out of phase and fight each other. Incidently once I got it setup I've never had the high speed setting activate. The radiator from JTR is capable of keeping the engine cool enough to not reach the high speed activation temp. This is in south eastern WA where summer temps often exceed 100 degrees. After market fans that are controlled by their own thermostat should work fine also, just program the fan settings in the PCM so it never tries to turn them on. Wheelman

I totally removed all the circuits that weren't used (removed the pins from the PCM plugs like 80LT1 did) and have no problems with codes. The circuits removed include evap purge, all tranny inputs/controls, EGR, AIR PUMP, PS, VATS and AC. I did have to put a resistor in line to simulate the SES light but no others were required. jbc3 is correct about the SES light and what the PCM does with the fan(s) when a code is generated. The PCM will want a VSS so it can control the IAC during coast down, if you don't have one and you use the tranny to slow down while stopping the engine will have a tendancy to die. I use Tunercat and it's possible to disable and/or adjust the settings so that the removed circuits have no affect on the operation of the PCM. If you decide to go with a T5 let me know and I'll give you a calibration file from a 94 Camaro with a manual tranny as a starting point. You'll still need to edit it but the auto-tranny settings will already be set to default factory settings used in a manual tranny car. Wheelman

I was able to get a Wilwood 3/4" master to work but I had to cut the pedal stop off the floor to get enough travel. If I had it to do over I'd use the 7/8" instead, the 3/4" has a very long throw before the clutch disengages which makes for a slow shift. Wheelman

You're pretty much right, it's not that hard it just takes time and a decent understanding of which wire connects to what pin on the PCM plugs. You can get away without wiring the tranny to the PCM but it works better if you at least give the PCM a VSS feed so it knows when the car is moving or not, the aftermarket speedo will use the same wires so you'll need to connect it to the tranny at a minimum. Get an OBDI connector from a junk yard. Pretty much any GM car with OBDI will work and if you aren't going to be taking it to a shop you only need to connect 2 of the 3 wires (ground and data) the mode line can be left disconnected. If you are planning on a shop working on your car then connect all 3. As for sending the stock harness to someone, thats a personal choice, some people are very intimidated by the shear number of wires in the harness and don't want to mess with it so they send it out to have the circuits that aren't needed removed and the rest rebuilt to place the PCM in the desired location relative to the engine. When you say the gauges will be wired independantly do you mean that separate connections will be made to existing sensors (water temp, oil pressure, tach, speedo, volt, etc...) or will you use different sensors for the gauges from those used by the PCM? If you plan on using separate sensors then where they are placed gets complicated, if you are using the existing sensors with new gauges then new circuits must be run to feed them. This is why it really pays to understand the wiring harness before removing things that at first glance you think you won't need. My suggestion is before you decide what you are going to remove sit down with the harness and complete wiring diagrams for both the donor car and the Z and figure out what everything is, where it connects in the donor and in the Z and label it all, then remove the circuits you won't need. Be sure to understand how the aftermarket tach and speedo connect either to the PCM or the engine/tranny and run those circuits accordingly. One thing to keep in mind is that you will most likely be cutting those connectors off to either shorten or lengthen just about every wire in the harness so don't rely on them to identify the circuits. Again, this isn't a hard thing to do but it takes time and can be confusing due to the shear number of circuits you're dealing with. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions if you get stuck, be sure to search first though as this has been done and documented a couple times on here already. Wheelman

You could just use a spacer to run those 16" rims. I'm running 16x7" rims on my 240 with 1.5" adapter/spacers. The bolt pattern of the rims are 4x4" with a backspacing similar to the rims you want to buy. The adapters cost about $150.00 for the set. Wheelman

Rudypoochris, The circlip being discussed is more of a circular spring clip that is on the end of the splined stub shaft that's inserted into the diff. The circlip stays on the shaft and compresses into a groove when the shaft is inserted and then expands when the shaft is all the way in. Don't try to remove this clip or you'll ruin it. Hope this helps. Wheelman

I did the LT1 with T5 swap and am very happy with it. I swapped the stock cam for an LT4 Hot Cam with better valve springs and retainers but left everything else stock except the computer tune. The wiring is not difficult it just takes time. I used the stock harness and just deleted the circuits I didn't need. Once thats done just give the PCM +12 switched, non-switched and a good ground and your in business. After market support is decent for the LT1 but parts are more expensive than standard SBC parts. My original plans were to swap in a Ford 302 with a T5 but I ran across the LT1 for a good price before finding a good 302 so I changed directions. I still want to do a Ford swap some day but will drive this for a while before doing another. Oleh, What about the "feel" of the LT1 didn't you like? Wheelman

Dude, This thread was originally started in 2003 and all posters have solved the problem. Tim gutted the PS pump as he stated, not sure what "Your Car is Slow" did. I made my own bracket that replaces the PS and AC pulleys with 2 smaller ones and retains the stock tensioner. I can post pictures if you'd like, in fact I have in other threads so try doing a search. Wheelman

You don't need the crossmember spacers, they only provide more hood clearance by lowering the engine relative to the body. They do not affect ride height in any way!!! I'll let others address the front control arm pivot point as they have much more knowledge and experience than myself with that issue. Try using the search function, the questions you asked have been addressed before and I'm sure you find all the information you need. Wheelman

A guy I used to work with was playing with 2 of these that came out of an older hard-drive so they were relatively large. He put them up close to his ear lobe like he was going to slowly let them come together and hang from his ear. Wrong idea. When they get close it's extremely difficult to hold them apart, especially the larger ones. Anyway they got close enough to over come his grip while his ear lobe was between them. Ever seen a mashed ear lobe? Not a pretty sight. We all learned a lesson that day. They are fun to play with but be respectful of their strength and as stated above they will shatter if they snap together hard enough. I use them to hold sheet metal in place while welding. The trick is getting them back off when you're done. Wheelman

Jon, I actually use a Big Buddy in my garage and am pretty happy with it. My garage is very big so I move it around as I change location while working on the car. I would suggest getting the adapter to use the 5lb or 20lb propane tank rather than the small bottles. I go through a pair of bottles in about a week so they go pretty fast. Also think seriously about getting a DC adapter to use instead of batteries for the fan (you really want the fan to work). Also you'll want to make sure there are no drafts where you place the heater as the pilot is fairly easy to blow out, mine gets blown out everytime I move it while it's lit. Other than these small issues I've been pretty happy with mine and would recommend one for use in a garage, just make sure to have some ventilation as there are some fumes it puts out. Wheelman

Guys, I don't think the fact I have an SBC is why my car dropped so much, it rides level not nose down. I weighed it this last summer and it came in at 2480 lbs. Thats about what a stock 240 weighs. Part of the reason my car was so low initially was the tires I was running were very worn and a low profile which put the front end right on the ground (more owrn than the back and lower profile than the back). The engine only weighs about 100 lbs more than the L6 so I don't think thats why the front springs were more compressed. They are progressive as confirmed by the tokico rep and several other members here. This means that the first few coils will be compressed at normal ride height. Wheelman

The LT1 can also use a T5 transmission. I got an LT1 from car with an automatic and put together a tranny package using a world class T5, Flywheel from a later 305 that used a 1 piece rear main seal, 83-91 V8 Camaro bellhousing, clutch fork, slave cylinder, clutch disk and pressure plate. I used a Wilwood master cylinder but there are others that will work just as well. If you decide to buy this car grab everything you can from it and be sure to get the complete engine wiring harness being sure not to cut any of it. Pop_N_Wood is correct, the 93 year is the least desirable but can be converted to use the later computer. Not very hard to do and gives you the opportunity to switch the system to use a MAF rather than Speed-Density if you want. You'll also want to upgrade the opti-spark for reliability reasons. 94 and 95 models are better with the 95 the most desirable because it's still OBDI, computer can be flash programmed and it has the vented opti. Wheelman

BRAAP, You're correct. I did some more searching and found a picture of the unit from a Camaro World Class T5 on page 12-4 of JTR's TPI/TBI Manual. It is gear driven so it's possible to replace it with a mechanical drive unit by just removing a replacing it. Wheelman

Depends on whether it's a rod or main bearing. If it's a rod bearing then the rod end can be resized, if it's a main then the bearing seat(s) need to be measured and then machined if out of spec, then an oversized bearing is used. The crank also must be checked to see how badly damaged it is and either ground and polished or replaced. To do all this basically means a full tear down so you might as well plan on doing a full rebuild while you have it torn apart. How much of the car do you plan to use? $900.00 for a hinky engine seems kinda high, especially one that will not be cheap to rebuild. Wheelman

HarrisonTX, You can't just stuff a gear in it to convert from the VSS to mechanical. The reluctor for the VSS is on the tail shaft in place of the gear that drives the mechanical output. It can be converted by using the tail housing/shaft from a tranny with a mechanical output though, thats what was done to mine. You'll want to have a shop do the conversion for you. Edit: Just went to look at the eBay ad again and noticed that the seller says it was removed because it was popping out of second gear. Looks like it will need a rebuild so take the opportunity to convert to mechanical speedo drive and have some improvements made. Either that or skip this one and get a TKO500 or TKO600. Wheelman

Just get the bellhousing, clutch fork, pressure plate, clutch disk and slave cylinder that work for an 89 Camaro. You'll have to find a master cylinder thats 3/4" or larger in diameter to get enough movement from the slave, check into the Tilton unit. I used a Wilwood and had to cut the clutch pedal stop from the floor of my car to get enough travel. Have a local hydraulic shop build you a line to connect the master and slave. Do you have the JTR manual? They do have some info on it. The tranny crossmember sold by JTR can be used along with the same GM tranny mount they show for the 700R4. I don't like the idea of bolting the crossmember to the floor so I used the Datsun unit and moved it back about 4-5 inches using hangers I made myself. As for the speedo output of that tranny on ebay, you'll either need to replace your speedo with an electronic one, get an electronic to mechanical drive box or convert the tailshaft to provide a mechanical output. Mine had been converted by the PO so I used the JTR cable. I had to cut the Datsun crossmember mounts out of my tunnel and widen it in other places to make it all work but beating it with a big hammer was rather cathartic for me. BTW: I'd jump on that tranny if I was you. I looked for 3 months before I found mine on eBay and paid about $25.00 more than what that one was at when I looked. They are getting hard to find so grab it, but don't think you'll get it for $150.00. I got lucky with mine because the PO said it came from an 83 Camaro (which it had been swapped into) when it was really from an 89 TransAm. I had the guy send me the tag number and looked it up online before bidding. I was the only bidder and got it for $175.00. Good Luck Wheelman

#1. Anything is possible with the correct bellhousing adapter, clutch plate and/or tranny input shaft. Seems to me it would be better to just use a built T5, they are very easy to come by for the Ford applications. Wheelman

The next rude but inevitable question is "How far away is the closest work?" Where in Montana? I almost took a job just north of Hamilton which is about 50 miles south of Missoula(sp). Beautiful country but a very long story as to why I passed it up. I get next dibs on being your son and/or live in mechanic/butler/chaufer/security guard/etc.. Wheelman